Dakar | Plot twist: Sébastien Loeb retires!

A twist shakes the finale of the most famous rally raid in the world. Sébastien Loeb's Dakar ended today at kilometer 132 of Stage 11, just as the Alsatian was intent on battling with Carlos Sainz for the victory of today's test and the overall success in this 46th edition of the event which has been held for some years now in the Middle East.

Loeb, who was a few seconds behind his rival for the success of this Dakar, was forced to stop after 132 timed kilometers due to the failure of an A-arm, i.e. a part of the front right suspension of his Hunter made by Prodrive .

The 9-time world champion, having verified the problem with his car, called for assistance and exited the special. This means only one thing: retirement – even if he can start again tomorrow to get points valid for the W2RC World Championship – and goodbye to any chance of victory.

For Loeb, a sensational mockery, which, in the eighth participation of his career, continues to keep him away from the coveted victory that would make him even more immortal despite already being a rallying legend thanks to the 9 consecutive WRC titles won in his career.

The words spoken by teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah just a few days ago were prophetic. The Qatari, who also withdrew from this Dakar after the engine failure on his Hunter, had indicated the suspension as the most delicate point of the cars that from next year will take Dacia to race in the most famous rally raid in the world.

Loeb, beyond a considerable number of punctures, had so far been free from significant failures. But what happened today has the bitter taste of the final mockery. Carlos Sainz and Audi now have a clear path towards final success with only tomorrow's stage missing to be able to lift the Touareg trophy.

For Sainz it would be the crowning achievement, yet another, of a sumptuous career, the fourth overall success at the Dakar in the Car category. For Audi Sport, however, the victory would make the farewell to the category very sweet before dedicating all resources to the Formula 1 project which will officially begin in 2026.